by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

The country that launched Sputnik more than 50 years ago, just might send its Olympic torch into orbit as well. The chief organizer of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games addressed the possibility of the Olympic flame heading into space on Monday, according to news agency R-Sport.

"The flame will visit Mount Elbrus, Lake Baikal, and the North Pole," organizing committee president and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko said at a Moscow ceremony unveiling the torch design Monday."We even hope that it will go out into open space."

In 2011, Russian Olympic Committee chief Alexander Zhukov first mentioned the intention to send the flame to the International Space Station. "Russia was the first country to send a man into space some 50 years ago. So, we are proud that now we have the opportunity to be the first nation to send the Olympic torch into space," Zhukov said.

The torch that will carry the Olympic flame during the Winter Games is fashioned in the shape of a feather with a flash of red. Its design is intended to invoke the Firebird or the Phoenix, the bird which is a symbol of good fortune and happiness in Russian folklore.

The torch relay, which will visit 2,900 Russian towns and cities, will begin Oct. 7.